Apparatus for flushing and scraping the inside of pipes



Feb; 26, 1963 D. F. HICKS, JR 3,078,487

APPARATUS FOR FLUSHING AND SCRAPING THE INSIDE OF PIPES Filed April 23, 1962 DEUEEV f1 Jane/ 5, J12.

INVENTOR.

BY 5% dm ATTORNEVS 3,078,487 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 3,078,487 APPARATUS FOR FLUSG SCRAPING THE INSIDE OF PIPES Druery F. Hicks, in, 4913 E. 61st St., Maywood, Calif. Filed Apr. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 189,537 8 Claims. (Cl. 15-10419) This invention relates to devices for use in cleaning the insides of pipes, the devices being especially well suited for flushing and scraping the insides of drain and sewer pipes.

The devices of this invention are adapted for connection on the end of a hose for flow of water, for example, from the hose axially through the device. Each such device has a plurality of resilient arms extending longitudinally between end rings of the device, the arms being biased to an expanded position in which the midportions of the arms project radially outward to extend beyond the outside circumferences of the rings. The arms are compressible radially inward whereby a single device is usable for cleaning pipes of various sizes. With the device secured on the end of a hose and inserted in a pipe to be cleaned, pulling and pushing on the hose will 'cause the arms to cut, dig into, and scrape off deposits adhered to the inside surface of the pipe. The combined actions of flushing and scraping result in optimum clean- General objects of this invention are to provide pipe cleaning devices of the above-mentioned character which are simple and rugged in construction, easy to manipulate, quick and reliable in their cleaning action, and economical to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following part of this specification wherein the details of construction and mode of operation of a preferred embodiment are described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a central longitudinal section through a pipe having a cleaning device of this invention positioned therein, the device being shown in side elevation, partly cut away in longitudinal section, and connected on the end of a hose; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section through the device on a larger scale taken upon a plane indicated by line 2-2 on FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail and by reference characters, the illustrated pipe cleaning device is designated generally by reference numeral 16}, it being connected on the end of a conduit, e.g. garden hose 12, and being positioned within a pipe 13 to be cleaned.

One end of the device It) is constituted of a coupling member 15 having a tubular slrirt portion 16 and an integral flange or ring portion 17. The skirt portion 16 is internally screw-threaded for connection to the externally threaded male end 19 of the hose 12. The ring portion 17 extends radially inward from the outer end of the skirt portion 16 and defines a central opening 21 which is herein referred to as an inlet end opening of the device. An elastomer washer 22 is preferably positioned on the inside of the ring portion 17 for increasing the extent of tightness to which the coupling member may be fastened on the end of the hose.

At the forward or leading end of the device is a ring 24, the central hole 25 of which is sometimes herein referred to as an outlet end opening of the device.

There is a circumferentially arranged series of uniformally spaced-apart resilient arms 27 connected to and extending between the coupling member 15 and the ring 24. The illustrated embodiment contains twelve such arms 27 and each is an outwardly bowed spring Wire pivotally connected at its ends to the coupling member and the ring, respectively. In FIGURE 1 there is shown at 2'7 portions only of two of such spring arms, they being represented in broken fashion for the purposes of convenience in illustration, and so that they will not present the illusion of extending into that portion of the device which has been cut longitudinally of the device for showing the coupling member 15 and the ring 24 partly in longitudinal section.

The ring 24 of the illustrated embodiment is formed to provide a circumferentially arranged series of separate fingers 29 which are looped inwardly at 30 so that each will encircle a bent end 31 of a spring arm 27, whereby the arms are hingedly connected to the ring to pivot radially inward and outward with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device ill.

At the coupling member 15, the ends of the spring arms 27 are hingedly connected to the ring portion 17 to pivot radially inward and outward with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device. More particularly, for each arm end, the ring portion 17 is slit along two lines 33 and 34 which extend generally radially with respect to the ring 17 and the portion of the ring between the pair of slits 33 and 34 is struck outwardly to provide an opening or passage 35 for accommodating the bent end 35 of a spring.

Each arm is coiled intermediate its ends in a helix 38, here of two full turns, for increasing the resiliency of the arms. Each coil extends radially inward from the outermost point 39 of its respective arm. I

he arms 27 are bowed radially outward with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device to an expanded position in which their mid-points 39 extend outward beyond the outside circumferences of the ring 24 and the coupling member 15 to engagement with the inside surface of the pipe 13. The arms are contractable to a position in which their mid-points 39 define a circle not greater than the outside circumferences of the coupling member and the ring 24, such that, even in the contracted position, they will exert radially outward forces for scraping against the inside of a pipe.

The device 1% is devoid of any structure along its axis between the inlet end opening 21 and the outlet end opening 25 with the result that there is no interruption to at least the core portion of a fluid stream or jet from the hose 12. The outer part or zone of a solid stream of water from the hose becomes broken up from interference with the coupling member and the outer end ring 24, such breakup of the surface water of the stream assisting in loosening deposits adhered to the inside of the pipe. As an operator pulls and pushes on the hose 12, he causes the resilient arms 27 to dig into, and cut, and scrape off deposits adhered to the inside of the pipe, the loosened deposits being carried away by the flushing action of the stream of Water from the hose. The solid stream which passes through the outlet end 25 of the device not only Washes the deposits loosened by the arms 27 but also directly strips some of the deposits from the pipe.

While the invention has been illustrated and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A device for use in cleaning the inside of a pipe comprising a coup-ling member for securing the device on the open end of a hose and defining a fluid inlet opening, a ring member spaced from the coupling member sevens? and defining a fluid outlet opening in axial adigrnnent with said inlet opening, the device being devoid of structure along its axis between said openings so as to pro for uninterrupted flow of at least the core of a flushing stream from said hose to pass axially through the device from said inlet opening through said outlet opening, and a circumferentially arranged series of flexible arms connected to and extending between said members, each arm being expanded to a position in which a portion of the arm between said members extends radially outward with respect to said members, and being cont-tractable to a position in which said portion is disposed radially inward of said expanded position, and means for normally biasing said arms to their expanded positions.

2. A device for use in scraping and flushing the inside of a pipe comprising a coupling member for securing the device on the open end of a hose and defining a fluid inlet opening, a ring member spaced from the coupling member and defining a fluid outlet opening in axial alignment with said inlet opening, and a circtunferentially arranged series 01f resilient arms pivotally connected to and extending between said members, the arms being expandable as a group radially outward to a position in which a portion of each arm between said members extends radially outward beyond said members, and being contractable to a position in which said portion is disposed radially inward of said expanded position, and means for normally biasing said arms to said expanded position.

3. A device for use in scraping and flushing the inside of a pipe comprising a coupling member for securing the device on the open end of a hose and defining a fluid inlet opening, a ring member spaced from the coupling member and defining a fluid outlet opening in axial alignment with said inlet opening, and a circumterentially arranged series of Wire springs extending longitudinally between and connected at their ends to said members, each spring being formed to bow radially outward with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device to an expanded position in which a portion of the spring intermediate said members extends outwardly beyond the outside circumferences of said members, and the springs being compressible radially inward from said expanded position.

4. A device according to claim 3 in which said springs are pivc'tally connected at their ends to said members respectively.

5, A device according to claim 3 in which the midpoints of each spring is coiled and said coils extend radially inward from the outermost portions or" the arms.

6. A device according to claim 3 in which said ring member has a circumierentially arranged series of fingers, those ends of the arms connected to said ring member having right angle bends, said fingers being iooped around said bends for liingedly connecting the arms to the ring member.

7. A device according to claim 3 in which said coupling member comprises a skirt portion internally screwthreaded for connection on the male end of said hose, and a ring portion extending as an inwardly extending annular flange around one end of the skirt portion and defining said fluid inlet opening.

8. A device according to claim 7 in which said ring portion of the coupling member has a circumferentially arranged series of pairs of slits which extend generally radially of the ring portion, those parts of the ring portion disposed between said pairs of slits respectively being bulged axially outward to provide openings for accommodating the ends respectively of the spring arms whereby the arms are hinged to the coupling member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A DEVICE FOR USE IN CLEANING THE INSIDE OF A PIPE COMPRISING A COUPLING MEMBER FOR SECURING THE DEVICE ON THE OPEN END OF A HOSE AND DEFINING A FLUID INLET OPENING, A RING MEMBER SPACED FROM THE COUPLING MEMBER AND DEFINING A FLUID OUTLET OPENING IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID INLET OPENING, THE DEVICE BEING DEVOID OF STRUCTURE ALONG ITS AXIS BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR UNINTERRUPTED FLOW OF AT LEAST THE CORE OF A FLUSHING STREAM FROM SAID HOSE TO PASS AXIALLY THROUGH THE DEVICE FROM SAID INLET OPENING THROUGH SAID OUTLET OPENING, AND A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED SERIES OF FLEXIBLE ARMS CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS, EACH ARM BEING EXPANDED TO A POSITION IN WHICH A PORTION OF THE ARM BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS EXTENDS RADIALLY OUTWARD WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEMBERS, AND BEING CONTRACTABLE TO A POSITION IN WHICH SAID PORTION IS DISPOSED RADIALLY INWARD OF SAID EXPANDED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR NORMALLY BIASING SAID ARMS TO THEIR EXPANDED POSITIONS. 